Monday, July 28, 2008

Applebottom clothing line creator/rapper Nelly has signed his name on the dotted line to become Diddy's first ever spokesmodel for the mogul's Sean John Underwear Line. Underwear! Uh, quick note to Nelly: make sure Diddy cuts you your check. It seems to slip his mind more often than not to pay his employees and artists for their work. Just ask any former Bad Boy artist. But I digress. Anyhoo, according to the St. Louis Business Journal, the St. Lunatic will be featured in various advertisements wearing the Sean John undergarments from a house overlooking Los Angeles, California. The decision to hire the rapper was based on Diddy’s confidence in his image. “To me, Nelly is the quintessential definition of the Sean John man,” the Bad Boy CEO said in a statement. “He has the attitude, the swagger and most of all, the physique that our customers can both aspire and relate to.” In addition to the male audience Diddy expects to reach, the hip-hop mogul is also banking on a strong female reception from the advertisements. “And let’s be honest, all of the ladies out there are going to be thanking us for this campaign,” he added. “The images are so strong; they speak for themselves.”

Click on the picture on top to fully view Nelly's Sean John Underwear ad...although it would have behooved somebody to give dude less clothes than what we see in the picture. I mean, damn, it is suppose to be an underwear ad.

In related news, Nelly will be coming to the small screen soon, with a role on crime drama series CSI: NY. According to Entertainment Weekly, the rapper – whose other acting credits include 2005’s The Longest Yard - will be featured in several episodes as a club owner turned informant. "He's a great actor," executive producer Pam Veasey told EW. He really stepped up."

So-called socialite Kim Kardashian recently responded to photos and video footage of her being seen thumbing through wedding magazines which have prompted folks to speculate that she and her do-boy Reggie Bush could soon be walking down the aisle. During a radio interview, Kim told radio host Ryan Seacrest that she had just spent the weekend in Las Vegas with 16 of her 'best friends', one of whom is getting married. Now this is the part I'm still trying to figure out: they were at a bachelorette party, but instead of them tipping strippers with dollar bills and boozing it up, they opted to sit their asses in a Las Vegas hotel room and look through wedding planning magazines! Also, during the interview, Kim mentioned that she was wowed at the fact that half of the girls at the bachelorette party already have engagement rings. That may be the reason why, in that pic at the top of this post, you see her trying on an engagement ring on the ring finger of her a LEFT HAND. Of course she's just practicing for the day when (not if) Reggie pops the question because, guess what, ol girl has also began planning her wedding with Ashy Reggie.

While laughing off rumors that the two are engaged, she wasted no time admitting to the fact that she is already making plans for their big day. "I'm going to have my whole wedding planned out, so that whenever I get asked there won't be any drama. You know Reggie will be so easy. He'll be like, 'Alright, babe, we'll do this. Check, check. We'll do this, we'll do that.' He's so easy. Plus he'll do what I tell him too. He just wants to pick the place. We talk about it. It's totally pre-planning so it will eliminate all the drama whenever it happens." When asked when (not if) will Reggie pop the question, without hesitation Kim said, 'Oh, it will definitely be after the [football] season. We have a while. We gotta focus. I'm in season three of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. He's in the season three of the NFL, so I just have a feeling that this is all going to be just a good year for us.

In the meantime and in between time, check out these photos of Kim and her big-ass little sister Khloe at McDonald's Big Mac 40th anniversary party. Yes, the Big Mac is now over the hill, yall!

"I had looked at wedding books. I was looking at venues and doing all those things that a person would do who knows they're gonna marry somebody. I bought the house and all that good stuff. Then it was like, no, that's not gonna happen. I think that was the worst hurt I've ever felt in my life. Nothing can help; food didn't help, trying to get with somebody else didn't help, family didn't even help. It was literally me praying for my heart to get healed, because, when I love, I love pretty hard and I put a lot into a relationship." The singer insists she's glad the break-up happened, because now she's much stronger for it: "I grew so much. I'm a totally different person because of it, but in a good way. A lot of people go through a bad break-up and they just become promiscuous...and they are bitter all the time, but, for me, that didn't happen."

--28-year-old singer Michelle Williams on how she nursed her secret heartache after the 2004 break-up of her engagement and the dissolution of her dream wedding to her former fiancé after he told her he wasn't ready for marriage. Williams says her only way of coping with her heartbreaking loss was through prayer and a big bank account; and she says she's going to make sure her next relationship (or maybe her current one?) will not be so costly. "Relationships get very expensive... You try to fly on the red-eye (overnight plane) home, you try to spend time (with him). When I was overseas, I racked up a $10,000 cell phone bill....I'm not weary of it [getting married] at all. I do believe there is a particular gentleman out there for me who will come when I least expect it." Bless her precious heart. I had no idea she was supposed to be the first wife'd up member of Destiny's Child.

Michelle's new album Unexpected has been pushed back for released from August 18, 2008 to October 7, 2008. Gosh, it's bad enough that it took her two years to record the album and now it's been pushed back 2 months!

AFTER THE JUMP, READ MICHELLE'S APOLOGY TO HER FANS REGARDING HER ALBUM'S NEW RELEASE DATE.

..I am so sorry about the news of my album!!! Trust me......when they told me I was numb for two days and couldn't talk to anybody!!! I had sooooooooooooo many questions of as to why they'd push my album back three weeks before the original release date!!!! I will be honest and say that I am disappointed becuz I feel like we should've been doing more 3 months ago to promote my album instead of waiting to the last minute to change the date!!!! I have thought about EVERYTHING!!! Columbia Records is saying that they need more time to properly set up the album to ensure its success!!! So let's make some lemonade out of the lemons!!! This could very well be a blessing in disguise!!! Plus there are still many people who didn't even know my album was coming out August 12th anyway. I know you guys are LIVID but let's keep the energy POSITIVE!!!! Things will work out for the good!!!! I will still WIN!!!!!

I HAVE AND WILL CONTINUE to do my part in making the album a success!!! I have a great album and am confident that it can stand with the rest of the great music that is coming out this year!!!!

Over the past year or so it's been reported that Whitney Houston was busy slaving away in a recording studio preparing for her first album in five years. Over the weekend, one of Whitney's tracks from her untitled cd made its way onto the Internet. Titled Like I Never Left, the leaked love song runs three minutes and 39 seconds and is produced by R&B singer Akon, who also appears on the track. I want you to love me like I never left, Houston croons in the song. In one verse, the Grammy winner sings the apt line: Yes, your girl is coming back. The long-awaited LP, her first since bouncing back from substance-abuse issues and a rocky divorce from Bobby Brown, is expected to be released this fall. Listen to the track Like I Never Left Whitney featuring the ever-annoying ass nasal voice of the one and only Akon by CLICKING HERE.

Below is video footage (from this month, July 6th to be exact) of Whitney performing LIVE in Kazakhstan. And judging by the video, it sounds as if she may have gained at least some of her vocal strength back. Not much, but enough for the time being. Then again, I could just be tone-deaf. Although unfortunately we may never hear her belt out her most strongest vocal hit, I Will Always Love You. That ship has sailed on to its salvation folks. Judge for yourself.

I ain't finished. 44-year-old Whit the cougar was recently spotted by tmz.com cameras as she and her boy toy Ray J., 17 years her junior, cuddled and kissed in the backseat of a car. Click here to view video footage.

I never posted any of the hoopla surrounding the allegations of Miami rapper Rick Ross (born William Leonard Roberts on January 21, 1977) having been a correctional officer despite his 'I'm So Hood' persona because quite frankly just reading about it and his beef with fellow Miami rapper Trick Daddy, gave me a headache the size of Rihanna and Tyra's foreheads combined. But in recent days more details have emerged in this debacle. Trick Daddy is now responding to the insinuations that he is responsible for the leaked photos depicting Ross as a former correctional officer. Trick says the rumors are just an attempt to create division within his city’s thriving Hip-Hop community. “We don’t deal with rap beef down here,” Trick told AllHipHop.com. “That’s not in our character. That’s not something we do. We’re the only city that ever gets compared to other people’s entire states. Whoever put my name in this is really attacking all of us.” During a recent interview with Rick Ross circulating on the internet, an interviewer inquired about an alleged rift between the former Slip-n-Slide label mates. During the clip, Ross is “informed” by the interviewer that “Trick Daddy accused [him] of working as a prison guard at one point.“ (watch clip here.

While Trick would not directly confirm any knowledge of the Def Jam rapper’s employment as a law enforcement officer, he did address the controversy. “So what if he [was],” Trick asked. “That just means he avoided something a lot of us in the hood haven’t, including me. I’m not proud of being an ex-con. Now that means I always got one foot in and one foot on a banana peel. I’m not proud of the things I did to land in that position.”

Below is the well-circulated pic(s) of William Leonard a.k.a. Rick Ross in his C.O. uniform. If you all saw the video of Rick roasting Trick for his latest drama, then he's really gonna hit the roof of his hood when he learns what the SmokingGun.com has dug up. It gets better. Just keep reading below the photo.

TheSmokingGun.com has obtained an additional 86 pages of Ross’ personnel file from the DoC of his 18-month employment as a corrections officer in the mid-90s. Included documentation ranges from Ross’ employment application and finger print card proving his clean criminal background to signed agreement forms where he promised to “shoot an inmate attempting to escape.” Also found in the reports are his loyalty oath, payroll information, and a Certificate of Appreciation that he received due to his perfect attendance record. Dude was one of those get-to-work on time brothers! The Smoking Gun recently confirmed that Ross worked as a prison guard from December 1995 until June 1997 at the South Florida Reception Center in Dade County, despite denials by the rapper. He was reportedly earning a salary of $25,794.34 upon his departure.

AFTER THE JUMP, TRICK DISHES ON HIS ALLEGED BEEF WITH ROSS.Despite having seen Ross’s heated response to the question, Trick maintains that there is no bad blood between the frequent collaborators, who spoke as recently as this week. “I told Ross he needs to have better people around him. He needs better publicists, so that he can avoid even being asked those type of funny questions. I been in this game for thirteen years, and anybody who’s ever listened to my music knows Trick Daddy is very smart. I know when somebody’s trying to use me and pull me into some s**t. But the people doing this need to understand what their words can do too. When you start talking about beef, and creating [situations] between people from the same hood, you gotta realize that that beef s**t can end with one man in jail and another man gone.”

"For those of you who haven't checked out my latest video from Vegas, you're missing my new look. I've cut all my hair off. I've gone bald for the simple fact that I'm focused solely on basketball. I'm not concerning myself with waking up in the morning, brushing my hair trying to look pretty. I'm really focused on playing and bringing home the gold. Also, in China I'm not letting anybody cut my hair. If you're not my barber, it's not happening. The bald look will last me the next 30 days. My head looks good, but my body feels even better...."

--That's D-Wade commenting on why he has chosen to go bald. The All-Star is now in Beijing, China preparing to bring home the Olympic gold medal alongside his USA Olympic teammates Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. Wade says he has pushed his body past it's limits in an effort to perform at his very best during the Olympic games.

In related news, Wade is facing a lawsuit for breach of contract from former partners Mark Rodberg and Richard von Houtman. Rodberg and von Houtman helped Wade open two restaurants last year and were planning a third, according to a story in Florida's Sun-Sentinel. But both D. Wade's Sports Grills shut down in the last couple of months and the plaintiffs are saying it's because Wade didn't fulfill his end of the deal by making the required marketing and promotional appearances on behalf the restaurants. Wade, however, is saying that he did meet his obligations and Rodberg and von Houtman , who are looking for $15,000 and attorney's fees, needed to slow their roll and let the restaurants marinate for a minute before expanding.

"If anything, Dwyane has a concern that the value of his name has been tarnished by ceasing operation of the restaurants," Steven Peretz, Wade's attorney, told the Sun Sentinel. "This is an instance where D. Wade called a timeout on the expectation of the restaurants. The pilot restaurants have not shown any record for success."....

Bravo's Housewives series has made its way to peachy-keen ATL. Finally a series with some color in it! LOL! I refused to post anything on this earlier because an official premiere air date will not be set in stone until sometime in August. But at least the folks over at Bravo have saw fit to give us a 3-minute sneak peek of the Real Housewives of Atlanta this Wednesday (July 30, 2008) at midnight. The show follows Bravo's original The Real Housewives of Orange County, and its offshoot, The Real Housewives of New York and will be the first to feature African American women in the cast...although to the ATL cast will feature one 'Becky' whereas the previous two never featured any housewife of color, but I digress.

And believe it or not but it was the lady tea-spillers over at popular gossip site LipstickAlley.com who were the first to report that Bravo cameras had followed five well-to-do socialites in the Atlanta area for the new series. Bravo executive VP and general manager Frances Berwick says, "Bravo's Real Housewives franchise has resonated with our viewers across the country, and we think they will be equally fascinated by the lavish lifestyles and personalities of these Atlanta wives. They let us peek inside their exclusive, affluent community and see how they live their often-dramatic lives and manage families and careers. There is truly never a dull day for them."

Cast members for The Real Housewives of Atlanta are:

• DeShawn Snow, a mother of three and the wife of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Eric Snow. Runs a non-profit foundation and sits on the boards of three other local charities.

• Kim Zolciak, a single mother of two who's trying to jump-start a career in country music.

• Lisa Wu Hartwell, wife of Oakland Raider Ed Hartwell, real-estate firm owner and jewelry designer, among other things. She and her husband have three kids.

• NeNe Leakes, a mother of two with her husband, a real-estate investor, and founder of an organization to raise awareness of domestic violence. Bravo says she's also aiming to open a boutique hotel "in the very near future."

• Sheree Whitfield, a single mom and former boutique owner who's now concentrating on launching a clothing line.

And it looks like Mrs. Leakes (second from the right in the photo above) is already getting her first taste of paparazzi shine. Below are photos of Leakes and Bishop Noel Jones, who is unmarried and living the 'Christian-single life', as they were spotted having lunch at the infamous Ivy restaurant in Los Angeles about a week ago. Bishop Jones (the younger sister of singer/actress Grace 'Strangé' Jones) heads the City of Refuge Church out in Gardena, California which has about 17,000 members. You can catch Jones ministering his congregation on the Church Channel.

And I'mma gon 'head and say it: Oooh, Mrs. Leakes, you know you wrong. I could care less about you lunching with the Bishop man, that's your business...but to don a wig from Diamond's (former Crime Mobb member) personal collection is just wrong, Mrs. Leakes. It's all kinds of wrong. You don't go to the Ivy--the one restaurant where A, B and C-list celebrities dine at just too be seen--looking like that...especially when you're an Atlanta socialite with a reality show soon to hit the airwaves. Tsk, tsk, tsk. CLICK HERE and HERE to view a more up close and personal image of Mrs. Leakes.

FOR A MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EACH ATLANTA HOUSEWIFE & TO WATCH THE LADIES PROMOTE THEIR SHOW, CLICK 'READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!'

DeShawn Snow — Snow and her husband Eric, captain of the Cleveland Cavaliers, recently moved to their dream home in Alpharetta, GA. Mother to three boys: nine-year-old EJ, six-year-old Darius and five-year-old Jarren, Snow is an active member of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. She exercises her faith by running The DeShawn Snow Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on improving self-esteem in teenage girls. She is a regular on the Atlanta social circuit and extremely active in local philanthropy, sitting on the board of three different charities, all while expertly juggling her busy social calendar with being an NBA wife and keeping up with her boys.

Kim Zolciak — Zolciak lives in an exclusive gated townhouse community in Duluth, GA with her two children, 11-year-old Brielle and six-year-old Ariana. Zolciak is single, but happily dating with hopes to marry again in the near future. She also has her sights set on fame in the music business as a country singer, and is currently working with Grammy award-winning mega-producer Dallas Austin and will begin recording an album later this year. A staple on the Atlanta scene, Zolciak balances life as a single mom with a vivacious social life.

Lisa Wu Hartwell — Hartwell, a resident of a luxurious country club community in Duluth, GA, is a busy career woman who wears many hats - she owns her own real estate firm, Hartwell & Associates, a jewelry line called Wu Girls, a baby clothing line, Hart 2 Hart Baby, and juggles a budding acting, modeling and writing career. She’s a devoted wife to her husband, NFL player Ed Hartwell, and their three children 13-year-old Jordan, ten-year-old Justin and one-year-old EJ. When she’s not running one of her many businesses or running after the kids, Hartwell is very active in Atlanta’s social scene.

NeNe Leakes — Leakes is an active member of Atlanta society. She resides in the upscale Sugarloaf area of Atlanta with her husband Gregg, a successful real estate investor and business consultant, and their two sons, 18-year-old Brice and nine-year-old Brentt. Leakes donates her time to various foundations and is the founder of The Twisted Hearts Foundation, which brings awareness to domestic violence against women. Never one to sit still, the outspoken social butterfly also hopes to open a luxury boutique hotel in the very near future.

Sheree Whitfield — Single socialite Whitfield, a resident of the exclusive Sandy Springs area of Atlanta, juggles her busy home life with a packed social calendar. She is a busy working mother to three children -Tierra, Kairo and Kaleigh. Whitfield prides herself on her fashion sense, and owned her own upscale clothing boutique - Bella Azul - for years before closing up shop to focus on her next business venture, a clothing line called “She by Sheree.” Whitfield is opening a new chapter in her life as a single mom while balancing her entrepreneurial spirit and active social life.

Former friends-turned-rivals Lil Kim and Foxy Brown have more in common than spending time behind bars, rapping about their designer clothes and the sexual tricks they play on men. They're also become known for taking money for work they have yet to produce. Brown and Kim may soon find themselves side by side in courtroom over a new lawsuit filed by book publisher Simon & Schuster. Last week, Simon & Schuster filed two separate lawsuits in Manhattan Supreme Court yesterday (July 25), accusing both rappers of failing to deliver books for the company. The lawsuit claims Lil Kim of accepted a $40k advance for an untitled book that was to be finished by 2004. Brown also pocketed a cool $75k for an autobiography titled Broken Silence, yet neither rapper delivered a finished book to Simon & Schuster. Both rappers spent time incarcerated and both claimed to be writing books during their stays in prison.

Lil Kim served a year and one day in a Philadelphia prison for lying under oath about a shootout, while Foxy Brown served eight months in prison for repeatedly violating the terms of her probation.....